Add flair to a hardwood floor by applying a color stain to the wood. Materials: Wood stains
Paintbrush
Rags and tack cloth
Clear polyurethane finish
Painter's tape
Craft stick
- Begin with a clean, smooth, unfinished hardwood floor. Strip previously finished floors with a power sander, and clean well with a tack cloth or a damp rag.
- If you're creating a border, mask off the edge of the border with painter's tape, and burnish the edges of the tape with a craft stick so the stain doesn't seep onto other parts of the floor.
- Brush the stain onto a small area of the border in the direction of the grain of the wood (figure A), then quickly remove excess stain with a clean rag (figure B). This will add color without hiding the wood grain. Continue until the entire area has been stained.
- Let the stain dry slightly, then remove the painter's tape, pulling toward the stained edge to ensure a straight line.
- After the stain dries completely, mask off the border, and stain the rest of the floor with a different color.
- Once the area is finished, look for places that need touching up. Some areas will stain darker due to variations in the hardness or porosity of the wood.
- When you're finished coloring the floor and the stain is completely dry, seal the surface with a couple of coats of polyurethane, letting the floor dry between coats.
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